Mix together in a large bowl the spinach, mushrooms, cottage cheese, 1/2 parmesan cheese, and salt.

Add a few spoonfuls of sauce to the bottom of the crockpot (you can grease it or spray it first so it doesn’t stick). Spread across the bottom to make a thin layer.

Add a layer of noodles on top of the sauce, trying not to overlap them.

Add half the spinach mixture on top of the noodle layer, spreading evenly.

Add a layer of mozzarella cheese on top of the spinach layer.

Add half of the jar of spaghetti sauce and spread evenly on top of the mozz cheese.

Repeat the layers beginning with the noodles and ending with the sauce.

Top with remaining parmesan cheese.

Cover and cook on high 2-3 hours or on low 5-6 hours. You will know it’s ready when a knife is easily inserted all the way through without being restricted by hard noodles.

Enjoy!

*Variation: You can easily change this vegetarian lasagna to a meat lasagna simply by switching out the spinach for 1 pound of ground beef, turkey, or chicken. Be sure to pre-cook the meat first in a skillet on medium heat before adding to the bowl with spinach, mushrooms, cottage cheese, parmesan, and salt.

Come back here and tell me what you think after you’ve tried it. I’d love to hear!

********************************************

“Like” this post, tweet it out, and pin it!

********************************************

Jessica Stone is a mom of 4 and owner of her own businesses in the fitness, beauty, and essential oils industries. She has 3 special needs children, one which has an undiagnosed neuro-muscular condition that limits her mobility, and her twins are currently receiving therapy for sensory defensiveness, physical mobility, fine motor skills, and speech. She enjoys sharing what she has learned through her trials, experience, research, and tools that have helped her children’s health with other parents who are looking for support, encouragement, and helpful information. Get her FREE gift to you, 30 Easy Snacks Your Kids Will Devour: Eating Healthy Never Got So Simple. Connect with Jess live today on Facebook!

After posting this on Facebook, people were asking for the recipe within minutes! As they should be – it’s one of the best things I’ve ever put into my mouth!!

Well, here it is, though, I can take zero credit for it.

It’s the recipe on the back of the large bag of Pamela’s brand (you can find it on amazon.com or in local grocery stores) gluten free Baking & Pancake Mix. I did change the topping up, though – couldn’t help myself!

Alright, grab a pen and paper, better yet, just pin this onto your “Deliciously Gluten Free!” Pinterest board to refer back to quite often!! (ok, now I’ve fool-proofed it – here’s the link to the pin so all you have to do is repin it onto your own board for easy access right back here to the recipe any time you need it)

It makes the perfect fall or winter snack, so I just had to make it one more time before spring.

Ingredients:

~ 4 tbsp melted butter

~ 2 large eggs

~ 1 1/3 cup Pamela’s Mix

~ 1 tsp cinnamon

~ 1 cup canned pumpkin

~ 1/2 cup sugar (I use agave – it makes it more moist, too!)

~ 1/4 tsp cloves

~ 1/2 tsp salt

~ 1/2 tsp ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients together. Then add all the wet ingredients and mix well.

Add mixture to a greased loaf pan.

Top with optional topping below… OR…

Topping:(optional)

~ 2 tbsp melted butter

~ 1/3 cup packed brown sugar

~ 1/2 cup nuts (sliced almonds, walnuts, pecans)

…OR…

My Preferred Topping:

~ A handful of turbinado sugar!!! (I couldn’t help but offer a tasty photo)

Sprinkle the top with your preferred choice of topping and pop it in the oven for 50-60 minutes.

Cool on a plate or wire rack (though, it is very moist so be careful).

Slice & enjoy!!

Store in the refrigerator for a wonderful snack, warm or cold, any time of day… or night!

Ooo, I almost forgot. Tip for storing: make sure you don’t wrap it with anything when you place it in the fridge. Just put the end slice up against the loaf and set it all on a plate on a shelf in the refrigerator. That way, the topping stays all crispy instead of getting soggy under wraps!

********************************************

“Like” this post, tweet it out, and pin it!

********************************************

Jessica Stone is a mom of 4 and owner of her own businesses in the fitness, beauty, and essential oils industries. She has 3 special needs children, one which has an undiagnosed neuro-muscular condition that limits her mobility, and her twins are currently receiving therapy for sensory defensiveness, physical mobility, fine motor skills, and speech. She enjoys sharing what she has learned through her trials, experience, research, and tools that have helped her children’s health with other parents who are looking for support, encouragement, and helpful information. Get her FREE gift to you, 30 Easy Snacks Your Kids Will Devour: Eating Healthy Never Got So Simple. Connect with Jess live today on Facebook!

In fixing a yogurt snack for my kids one day, the recipe for this smoothie popped into my head.

I thought it would be good, but I didn’t know it would be THIS good!!

All it takes are a few simple ingredients, a blender, and you are all set.

Let’s get started…

You’ll need:

~ About 10 chunks of frozen mango (fresh would work too, but it wouldn’t be as cold and slushy)

~ 1 cup organic vanilla yogurt*

~ 1 tbsp ground flax or flax meal

~ 1 cup vanilla almond milk*

*You can add vanilla extract to plain yogurt and plain almond milk to achieve the same flavor. You may need to add a touch of agave to sweeten to taste if using plain yogurt.

Add all ingredients to a high speed blender, such as a NutriBullet or Vitamix. Blend well & enjoy!

Makes 1 large serving or 2 small servings.

I use this recipe now as an afternoon snack or meal replacement. It’s so delicious, smooth, and creamy… I just love it! And I know you will, too!

Once you’ve tried it, please come back and visit to tell me how you enjoyed it and any variations you made to it. I love experimenting with smoothies and you should always feel like you have that freedom, too. I’d love to hear from you!

********************************************

“Like” this post, tweet it out, and pin it!

********************************************

Jessica Stone is a mom of 4 and owner of her own businesses in the fitness, beauty, and essential oils industries. She has 3 special needs children, one which has an undiagnosed neuro-muscular condition that limits her mobility, and her twins are currently receiving therapy for sensory defensiveness, physical mobility, fine motor skills, and speech. She enjoys sharing what she has learned through her trials, experience, research, and tools that have helped her children’s health with other parents who are looking for support, encouragement, and helpful information. Get her FREE gift to you, 30 Easy Snacks Your Kids Will Devour: Eating Healthy Never Got So Simple. Connect with Jess live today on Facebook!

As a favorite growing up, I have adopted and tweaked my mom’s recipe for spinach lasagna into a gluten free meat lasagna that my kids can’t get enough of. Of course, the spinach variation works itself back into my household once in awhile since it’s a great way to get more greens into my kids… shhh, don’t tell them.

Since my family is gluten free (daughter is Celiac), this recipe is made with gluten free noodles. If you are not gluten free or avoiding wheat products, just add normal lasagna noodles in place of mine and you’re all set.

Now, on to the goods…

Ingredients:

1 egg

1 lb of ground beef, turkey, or chicken*

24-oz container of small curd cottage cheese or ricotta cheese, whichever you prefer (I use cottage cheese because it’s nicer to the budget!)

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

8-oz shredded mozzarella cheese

1 jar your favorite spaghetti sauce**

1 package gluten free lasagna noodles***

1/2 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown the meat in a skillet on medium heat.

In a large bowl, whisk egg until yolk and egg whites are well-blended. Add all of the cottage / ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese, sea salt, and ground beef.

In the bottom of a large 9 x 13 type baker, add about 2-3 tbsp of spaghetti sauce to the bottom of the pan, spreading with a spoon or silicone spatula, covering the bottom of the pan.

Add one layer of noodles on top of the sauce. Add half of the meat / cheese mixture on top of the noodles. Spread evenly over the noodle layer. Add half the mozzarella cheese across the top of the meat / cheese layer. Top with half of the remaining spaghetti sauce. Spread evenly.

Begin layers again with the noodles, then meat / cheese mixture, then the mozzarella cheese, followed by the remaining spaghetti sauce. Use the last of the parmesan cheese (1/4 cup) on top of the entire lasagna as the final layer.

Place lasagna in oven for approximately 1 hour.

Serve & Enjoy! Makes 8 large servings or more if you serve less with a side salad.

*Variation: if you would like to make a meatless, vegetarian lasagna, replace the pound of ground meat with 1 package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed, with water squeezed out.

**I prefer to use either “Sockarooni” by Newman’s Own for it’s added veggies or Napa Valley Bistro’s Tomato Basil sauce to make this absolutely delicious!

***If gluten free lasagna noodles aren’t available in your local store (I’ve also had trouble with this), replacing them with a layer of regular gluten free noodles (spirals, elbows, penne) is just as good.

I’d like to know what you think of this after you try it – remember, the sauce and cheese are what make this meal awesome. Don’t skimp on quality!! Be sure to come back and share!

********************************************

“Like” this post, tweet it out, and pin it!

********************************************

Jessica Stone is a mom of 4 and owner of her own businesses in the fitness, beauty, and essential oils industries. She has 3 special needs children, one which has an undiagnosed neuro-muscular condition that limits her mobility, and her twins are currently receiving therapy for sensory defensiveness, physical mobility, fine motor skills, and speech. She enjoys sharing what she has learned through her trials, experience, research, and tools that have helped her children’s health with other parents who are looking for support, encouragement, and helpful information. Get her FREE gift to you, 30 Easy Snacks Your Kids Will Devour: Eating Healthy Never Got So Simple. Connect with Jess live today on Facebook!

As a fellow gluten free eater, you know exactly what it feels like to not be able to eat your favorite foods – like pasta, bread, or even pizza.

You salivate and practically drool at the mere smell of fresh bread wafting out of a bakery as you pass by. You want to just be able to order anything off a menu at your favorite restaurant, but have quickly learned that very few offer a large gluten free selection. You may even stop in your tracks when you smell the hand tossed pizza that was just delivered being carried through the house during the Super Bowl Party, leaving a trail of delicious scent, beckoning you to follow and dive in.

Those of us that have to eat gluten free certainly do miss out on a lot. Or we have to eat “cardboard” 10 times before finding a good-tasting brand. However, the good news is there are brands out there that have figured out the secret to successful gluten free baking and have made their products available for us to use in our homes. And the best part – they taste delicious so we no longer feel totally deprived!

Friday night is our pizza night, which makes it very interesting since we are gluten free. However, it also gives us an opportunity quiet often to try new products or new things with products we already use.

I had Pamela’s Baking & Pancake Mix just sitting on my counter, taunting me. Then I had a brilliant idea – make our pizza crust out of the mix! It’s great for everything from waffles and pancakes to biscuits and amazing pumpkin loaf.

Variation: Leave the Parmesan and basil out of the dough to have a more plain crust. Personally, I like to top my pizzas with spinach, tomato slices, etc., so mine tastes the best with the basil / Parmesan mix!

********************************************

“Like” this post, tweet it out, and pin it!

********************************************

Jessica Stone is a mom of 4 and owner of her own businesses in the fitness, beauty, and essential oils industries. She has 3 special needs children, one which has an undiagnosed neuro-muscular condition that limits her mobility, and her twins are currently receiving therapy for sensory defensiveness, physical mobility, fine motor skills, and speech. She enjoys sharing what she has learned through her trials, experience, research, and tools that have helped her children’s health with other parents who are looking for support, encouragement, and helpful information. Get her FREE gift to you, 30 Easy Snacks Your Kids Will Devour: Eating Healthy Never Got So Simple. Connect with Jess live today on Facebook!